Ladies and Gentlemen
The leaves are starting to come down and the election
signs are starting to go up. There is quite a choice of candidates for you. Please
take the time to find out who they are and what they stand for. Midland’s
election is just 1 month away.
Also this fall season, the County of Simcoe will be
conducting its first ever electronics collection. Midland’s week is September 24-28 (Zone 2). You
should have received an electronics collection bag through Canada Post in early
September as part of the County’s Big News envelope. The mailer also included a
bag for the annual Battery Collection, occurring November 5th to 9th.
Visit www.simcoe.ca/electronicscollection for
further information.
The
Week Ahead
On Monday the 24th you are invited to
Boston Pizza as Big Brothers Big Sisters, in cooperation with Boston Pizza,
will receive a portion of the price of your dinner as a donation.
At 6:30 pm a special closed meeting of Council will
consider the nominees for the newly formed Midland Bay Landing Development
Corporation. Then at 7:00 pm it’s the September Council meeting, the last
significant Council meeting of this term of Council. You may wish to bring a
sleeping bag as the long agenda includes a number of significant items:
-
Three deputations:
o
A report by the Seniors Council on their
recent healthcare survey
o
Presentation on the 2018 First Light event
o
Deputation by residents from Ellen Street
about recent sewer problems
-
Direction on the purchase of a new aerial
fire truck - $1.3M
-
Decision on a debenture to fund the new
Operations Centre - $5.7M
-
Setting up the long-term trust funds for the
$22M the Town has just received from the sale of the MPUC. Council has already
directed staff to use approximately half of the amount as a perpetual legacy
fund and half for a revolving investment fund for Town projects
-
Setting up a Community Grant Policy. This
will change the current practice of donating to charities to an application
based program
-
Direction on a review of our local airport’s
business operations and sustainability. Midland owns 50% of the airport
-
Update on how the transition to the OPP is
going. While it is mainly good news there are a couple of sticking points
-
Consideration of forgiving the Guesthouse
loan of $25,000
-
Receipt of the report of the Community Safety
Task Force and direction on its recommendations on how to improve safety in our
downtown
-
Introduction of a new policy covering
substance use by staff
You can review items on the Council agenda at http://www.midland.ca/Shared%20Documents/AgendaCOUNCILSeptember%2024.pdf
On Tuesday at 9:00 am County Council meets in
Midhurst. At 3:00 pm the North Simcoe
Housing Working Group will assess a recommendation on a new housing style that
may be coming to Midland – “Shared Accommodation”. Shared Accommodation combines a private apartment
for the resident with shared areas like kitchens and dining areas. Then at 5:00 pm the heads of the four North
Simcoe communities meet to discuss issues that affect the entire area, such as
our shared airport or the proposed changes to the school board portion of
development charges.
The inaugural Cultural Connections
meeting will take place from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the NSSRC. Cultural
Connections is a free, learning, sharing and networking opportunity for
creative people in North Simcoe. Taking place on the fourth Tuesday of
each month (with the exception of December, July and August), each session will
feature a guest speaker and plenty of time to socialize and network with
other artists, musicians, performers and writers. This month's
presenter is Sean George, the Ontario Arts Council's Cultural Animator for
Simcoe County.
Thursday the 27th at 11:00 am sees me
at Georgian College, speaking to a class about leadership. At 3:00 pm it’s the Parkinson SuperWalk - Canada's
only nationwide fundraiser in support of Canadians living with Parkinson's. Join the walk at the Real Canadian Superstore
on Hwy. 93. That evening a special event takes place honoring one our area’s (and
Canada’s) finest artists – John Hartman.
At 6:00 pm at the Maclaren Art Centre in Barrie, the Legacy Award will
be presented to John, following the dinner. For further information please see https://maclarenart.com/events/fundraisers/legacy-dinner-2018
On Friday at 11:00 am GBGH celebrates the opening
of the refurbished ambulance bay and Emergency Department at the hospital.
Week -
End
Saturday September 29
-
9:30 to 4:30 - The 21st annual Showcase of
Homes Event by Big Brothers Big Sisters.
7 beautiful properties in our area
including:
o
The Captain’s House Heritage Bed and
Breakfast, 423 Hugel Avenue
o
Operation Grow, 436 Bay Street
o
Moreno-Aiken Residence, 561 Elizabeth Street
o
St. Paul’s United Church, 308 King Street
Tickets
are on sale at Tripps Paint Shoppe, Arbours
Flowers and REMAX. For more information visit www.doorsopenontario.on.ca/en/simcoe-county
- 7:00 pm - Sports Hall
of Fame 2018 induction ceremony and dinner at the NSSRC
Sunday September 30
-
7:30 pm - North Sea Gas, one of Scotland’s
most popular folk groups at the MCC
Council
Issues Update
Downtown Safety
The Community Safety Task Force will be making its
recommendations to Council this week. The recommendations are based upon
hundreds of surveys and interviews conducted by the Task Force, along with an analysis
provided by the County and key service providers.
Short term recommendations include establishing a
standing safety committee to continue monitoring the downtown plus
strengthening the Street Outreach program. The report also identifies the need
to address structural issue such as affordable housing and addictions. It
further recommends that the $50,000 allocated to the Task Force and not spent
be transferred to the new safety committee.
*****
One of our cultural
traditions, the Culture North Simcoe Awards, will be taking place on November 21st. This ceremony gives you the
opportunity to nominate your favorite creative person (or group) in one of four
award categories:
- Emerging Talent
- Education in Culture
- Founders/Builders/Historical
Contributors
- Excellence
in Culture
Nomination deadline is Monday, October 22 at
4:00 p.m. Nomination forms at https://www.culturemidlandawards.com/the-event
Gord McKay
The
Year for Forging Our Future - 2018
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